The Hidden Gem Sci-Fi Horror Movie You All Overlooked and It's Mind-Blowing

The Big Picture

Found footage horror movies that draw upon folklore and history can create a powerful and atmospheric viewing experience.

The film "Apollo 18" effectively taps into the prevalent skepticism towards the government in the 1970s, building a narrative that appears highly plausible. With its suffocating ambiance and prevailing sense of despair, "Apollo 18" emerges as a chilling and unforgettable found footage movie that capitalizes on the anxieties surrounding deceit and the enigmatic.

Folklore and history often serve as excellent sources of inspiration for horror stories. The found footage subgenre, in particular, has produced some captivating films by delving into these realms. For example, movies like Willow Creek explored the legends of Bigfoot, As Above So Below followed the quest for the Philosopher's Stone, and Chernobyl Diaries speculated on the remnants left behind at Pripyat. By building narratives around existing ideas and superstitions, filmmakers can effectively captivate audiences.

One noteworthy found footage horror film, despite receiving negative reviews upon release, broke new ground by merging the well-known moon landing conspiracy theories with the eerie setting of space. Apollo 18 offered a chilling and atmospheric viewing experience, going to great lengths to ensure a sense of realism.

During the late 1960s and early 1970s, the Space Race captured the spirit of the time, attracting immense national pride and public interest in successful moon landing missions. However, these endeavors, which represented remarkable achievements in science and technology, were not without risks and significant expenses. Following a series of disasters and close calls, the remaining Apollo missions were ultimately canceled, for various reasons. Moon landing conspiracy theories have persisted for decades, making the idea of exploring an alternate reality where the Apollo missions were not truly terminated an intriguing premise. By latching onto this notion, Apollo 18 created a science fiction horror film that felt just plausible enough to deeply engage viewers.

What Is 'Apollo 18' About?

Image via Dimension Films

In December 1974, two years after the supposed final mission of Apollo 17, Commander Nathan Walker, Lieutenant Colonel John Grey, and Captain Ben Anderson receive unexpected news. The Apollo 18 mission is secretly reinstated, and without any prior preparation or public knowledge, they are hastily sent into space. Their families and the press remain unaware of their destination or purpose. This situation creates a highly intriguing setup with immense potential for disaster. Officially, their task is to install detectors on the South Pole of the moon to monitor Soviet activity. However, things rapidly spiral out of control upon their arrival, and the three men realize the extent to which they have been kept in the dark.

Initially, the mission seems like a routine in-and-out affair, with everything appearing normal given the circumstances. Their small spacecraft is equipped with static, motion-detecting, and handheld cameras, allowing them to install the detectors without incident. However, the cameras begin to capture peculiar movements on the moon's surface, and the crew starts hearing mysterious sounds outside the craft. As Ben and Nate venture further, the situation quickly takes on a chilling tone. They stumble upon footprints that differ from their own NASA-issued space boots, followed by the discovery of an abandoned yet operational Russian spacecraft. This vessel, however, is in disarray and covered in blood, indicating Soviet activity that has either been concealed or withheld from them. Their panic intensifies when they uncover the lifeless body of a cosmonaut in a deep, dark crater, clad in a torn spacesuit with a smashed helmet. The crew's trust in their superiors begins to waver as they contemplate the true extent of the deception that surrounds them.

'Apollo 18' Deals with Governmental Distrust and Political Paranoia

Image Via Dimension Films

During the early 1970s, widespread political unrest and public skepticism towards the US government emerged, largely fueled by the Watergate scandal. This event shed light on the hidden agendas and deceitful practices within the political sphere, causing people to question and distrust authority figures. Against this cultural backdrop, Ben and Nate began to question their purpose and the secrecy surrounding their mission. They couldn't comprehend why Russians could be present on the moon without anyone knowing about it. Nate emphasized the secrecy they themselves experienced, further fueling their skepticism. Frustratingly, Houston offered no reassurance to alleviate their concerns. Although Ben urged them to prioritize returning home and seeking answers later, their spacecraft faced a sudden compromise, resulting in the loss of power and communication with Houston. Now faced with the possibility of dying alone in the cold void of space, their families unaware of their fate, their situation grew even more dire. However, things took a turn for the worse when they embarked on another venture outside the craft. Nate's suit became compromised, leaving him with a large, gaping wound that Ben had to extract a moon rock from. Unfortunately, this led to a rapid infection that caused Nate to descend into delirium, intensifying his paranoia about NASA and the government's true intentions for the mission. As Nate's sanity deteriorated, Ben struggled to provide support and find a way back to Earth. The overwhelming feeling of helplessness intensified when they discovered that the moon rocks they encountered were not just ordinary rocks, but rather living creatures - grotesque, crab-like moon spiders that invaded organic matter and used it as a parasitic host. It became evident that this was likely the fate of the abandoned cosmonaut.

Atmosphere Is at the Center of 'Apollo 18'

Image Via Dimension Films

What Apollo 18 excels at is its ability to evoke claustrophobia and a profound sense of despair. Similar to the tagline of Alien-- "In space, no one can hear you scream", this film fully immerses itself in that concept. (Although its own tagline is also brilliantly crafted- "There's a reason we've never gone back to the moon.") The spacecraft itself is incredibly small and cramped; don't imagine the Nostromo with its extensive corridors, laboratories, and communal areas; instead, picture the tin can described by David Bowie in "Space Oddity." There is nowhere to escape, no place to trap a deranged crew member, and no means of barricading oneself from danger. To capture the feeling of suffocation within this minuscule and confined space, static cameras are cleverly positioned in the upper corners of the spacecraft. This helps visually convey the oppressive sensation of being trapped within. Even the desolate wasteland that lies outside the craft has no allure. It is a cold, bleak, and colorless expanse, presenting an equal level of risk to remaining inside. The atmosphere of emptiness the movie generates is undeniably chilling, to the extent that death by slow suffocation may seem like a more desirable option.

'Apollo 18' Had an Imaginative Marketing Campaign

Image Via Dimension Films

The found footage format in this film offers a clever explanation for why everything is being filmed and effectively conveys the suffocating atmosphere experienced by the characters. To heighten the realism, the movie adopts a similar approach to The Blair Witch Project by presenting the events as real, concluding with a mention of the website lunartruth.com. Although this page is now defunct, accessing it reveals a frame of 16mm footage labeled as "The following is the recovered footage from Apollo 18," accompanied by the caption "This website was forcibly censored. Its contents can be seen in the film. Discover the truth." The film primarily gained promotion through online platforms, with the trailer doing the majority of the work and social media contributing to its success. Even the executive producer, Bob Weinstein, asserted that the film unveils genuine secrets rooted in reality, rather than fabricated content. As a narrative heavily centered around government conspiracy and based on a grain of historical truth, this clever gimmick undoubtedly compelled some viewers to engage in serious contemplation.

In the ending of the movie, it is revealed that the higher-ranking officials were involved in the events and are fully aware of what has occurred. They convey to the men in a clear manner that there will be no rescue. This ending adds a wonderfully bleak touch to the story, potentially suggesting a cover-up and enhancing the movie's aim for realism. Don't expect the thrilling excitement of Alien when watching Apollo 18, as its strength lies in creating a sense of unease. The action and visuals combine to construct a found footage format that ignites the imagination with conspiracy theories. It successfully narrates a chilling and subtle story that doesn't rely on jump scares or the eventual appearance of monsters. The true fear presented here is of a more ordinary kind: what if your friend, your only ally, betrayed you? What if powerful individuals betrayed you, abandoned you to meet your demise, and deceitfully manipulated the perception of your final moments? What if it turned out that no one could be trusted? The notion that the danger is larger and more influential than monsters, aliens, or deranged individuals with chainsaws is what truly makes Apollo 18 a standout science fiction horror. Both skeptics and newcomers should give this thoroughly unsettling film a second chance.